Flock Safety, Millie Moon, Hyperscalers, and Whimsigoth Are Trending

Welcome to this week's episode of Pre IPO Hype Lowdown. Today we're plunging into four emerging trends that are really telling us something about where things are headed, you know, with consumers and big tech infrastructure.

Absolutely. Yeah. We've gathered some fascinating material. We're looking at AI powered crime surveillance.

Right.

A new player in affordable luxury diapers. Which sounds interesting.

It does.

Than the ever expanding world of hyperscale computing and this rise of whimsigoth fashion.

Whimsigoth. Okay, so quite a mix.

Definitely a mix.

Our goal is really to look closely at these areas. They seem pretty unrelated on the surface. Right. And pull out the crucial insights so you can understand what's happening sort of beneath the surface and why it actually matters.

We'll dig into the specifics of each one, look at the companies, the forces.

Driving them, and see how they connect, maybe to bigger shifts.

We're observing exactly those meta trends.

Okay, let's kick things off then. First up, AI powered crime surveillance. And there's a company called Flock Safety that seems to be right in the middle of this.

Flock Safety. Yeah. Their mission is pretty direct use smart surveillance tech to cut down on crime.

Smart surveillance, right. What does that actually mean here?

Well, they use things like solar powered cameras that read license plates. Video cameras too, obviously. And even devices that can detect gunshots.

Gunshot detectors. Wow.

Yeah. And the key part is the tech layered on top. It's all equipped with artificial intelligence. Machine learning, basically.

So it's learning.

Right. The systems learn to spot potentially suspicious activity and they send out alerts, like in real time.

Okay, so it's proactive, not just recording footage for later.

Exactly. It's actively analyzing what it sees and hears.

What about the data? That's always a big question with surveillance.

Good point. They seem to have thought about it. The data is encrypted, stored in the cloud, but only for 30 days.

Only 30 days?

Yeah. Then it gets automatically deleted. That's their policy.

Interesting. And how do they sell this? Who's buying it?

It's a subscription model. And the customers are. Well, who? You might expect local police departments, schools, schools, HOAs, homeowner associations, and even some private companies.

So it's quite widespread already.

It really is. The. Their reach is substantial. We're talking devices in over 5,000 communities across like 49 states.

That's huge.

Puts them in a really significant position. And it definitely reflects this bigger meta trend we're seeing. AI for law enforcement.

Right. It's not just Flock Safety.

No, not at all. We're seeing AI pop up and all sorts of tools. Automated license plate readers have been around, but now there's more advanced AI, video analytics, drone surveillance.

It really does feel like a shift, doesn't it, towards this very data driven approach to public safety?

Absolutely. And there are some stats floating around. Police using AI are reportedly solving violent crimes. Something like 66% more often.

66%, that's a big number.

Yeah, it is. And public interest is clearly growing too. Search interest for AI surveillance is up almost 300% in just two years.

Wow. Okay. It definitely underscores this reliance on tech in areas that used to be purely human observation. All right, let's pivot completely from crime fighting to diapers.

Quite the shift.

Yeah. Specifically a brand called Millie Moon, which seems to be shaking things up.

Yeah, Millie Moon. They've definitely got a clear strategy entering the baby care market. They're positioning themselves as like affordable luxury.

Affordable luxury diapers. What does that entail?

Well, they really push the ultra soft feel. You know, eco conscious messaging is big for them too. And getting those certifications, gentle on skin, that kind of thing. Parents look for that.

Right? Parents are definitely paying attention to ingredients and materials now.

Totally. But the crucial part, the real differentiator, seems to be the price.

Ah, the affordable part.

Exactly. They're priced around what, 26 cents per diaper. That undercuts the other premium brands by nearly 40% based on what we're seeing.

40%, that's. That's significant savings for parents. Diapers are expensive.

No kidding. And they only launched in 2021. Pretty recently. They got exclusive deals with big retailers. Target in the us, Loblaws in Canada.

Smart move. How are they doing sales wise?

Apparently really well. Over 6.7 million packs sold. They became the fastest growing diaper brand at Target.

Fastest growing. Okay. They've hit on something.

Seems like it, yeah. And they just added a newborn size, so they're clearly looking to capture the whole journey.

It definitely feels like this taps into that bigger luxury diapers trend, doesn't it?

Absolutely. The global diaper market is massive. Right? Nearly $61 billion.

61 billion.

Wow. So even a niche focusing on premium or luxury is still a huge opportunity. And we are seeing this shift in.

What parents want, like non toxic chemical free.

Right. And even like nicely designed products. Aesthetics matter now, even for diapers.

It's true.

Statistically, about a third of moms are now choosing natural or eco conscious options.

A third.

Ok. And online searches reflect it too. Non toxic diapers. That search term is up over 230%.

So millimoon isn't alone in this space.

No, definitely not. You've got other brands playing in that premium area like Coterie, Rascals, Pura. They're all catering to this demand for something better, even if it costs a bit more. The Millie Moon is trying to bridge that gap with the lower price.

Right. The affordable luxury angle. Very interesting. Okay, shifting gears hard again from baby bottoms to the absolute giants of the digital world. Hyperscalers.

The backbone of the Internet, basically.

Not too much. When we talk about hyperscalers, we mean these huge companies running the massive data infrastructure.

Exactly. Your cloud storage, complex software, apps, all that stuff. The big names, Amazon, Microsoft, Google.

And they dominate. What is it, like 2/3 of the global cloud market?

Something like that, yeah. Yeah, it's staggering. And the amount they're investing just to keep growing that infrastructure is mil.

That wasn't great.

Billions. Over a thousand operational data centers already. And they're constantly building more. We saw examples like new billion dollar expansions in Mississippi, Indiana. It's non stop.

And it's not just buildings full of servers, is it? It's the connections too.

Oh yeah, undersea cables. They own or lease something like 70% of the global capacity on those vital routes connecting cotton.

70%.

Their reach is just immense, truly global fundamental infrastructure.

So they already have this massive dominance. What's driving the next phase of growth for them?

Well, one huge driver is artificial intelligence. AI.

Ah, okay. That connects to the AI computing boom meta trend.

Precisely. These AI models, especially the really powerful ones, they need unbelievable amounts of processing power and cooling.

Right. I hear they generate a lot of heat.

A ton of heat. Significant cooling is absolutely critical. The resource demands are almost hard to wrap your head around.

Give me an example.

Okay, so take something like ChatGPT. Just running say 10 prompts. Our sources suggest that uses about half a liter or 16 ounces of water for cooling.

Just for 10 questions.

Yep. And maybe 10 times the energy of a standard Google search. Now multiply that by millions, billions of interactions daily.

Okay. Yeah, the scale is enormous. You need massive infrastructure for that.

You absolutely do. That's why you see predictions like from Gartner saying we'll have around 2.7 million dedicated AI servers active by 2027.

2.7 million servers worth how much?

About $81 billion. It's a huge market going incredibly fast.

And people are searching for this stuff too.

Oh yeah. Search interest for AI data center is up over a thousand percent. It really hammers home how this physical infrastructure, the stuff these hyperscalers are building is literally becoming the backbone of the whole AI economy.

It really puts their power and influence into perspective, doesn't it?

It certainly does. Okay, from the nuts and bolts of the digital world, let's jump to something completely different. Aesthetics, culture, personal style, whimsigoth.

Whimsigoth. Okay, I've been seeing this term pop up. What exactly is it? It's sounds intriguing.

It is intriguing. It seems to be having a real moment. It's basically this blend taking gothic mystique, that darker vibe.

Okay, like black lace maybe?

Exactly. Black lace. Velvet is big, but mixing it with a more whimsical sort of fairy tale etherealness.

So dark, but also dreamy.

Dreamy is a good word for it. Think velvet drapes, but also moon shaped jewelry, stars, celestial themes. And the colors are often these rich jewel tones like emerald green, deep amethyst purple.

Okay, I can picture that. Moody but enchanting. Where is this showing up?

All over, really. Fashion, obviously, but also interior design, Even things like nail art.

Nail art? Whimsigoth. Nail art, apparently.

And it's getting huge traction on social media. TikTok posts tagged whimsigoth for fashion alone have blown past 30 million views.

30 million?

Yeah. And decor nail art, they're close behind. Pinterest is seeing searches explode too, for things like soft goth or gothic nail art.

Interesting. It feels like more than just a fleeting fashion thing. Is there a connection to a bigger idea?

We think so. It seems to tap into this broader cultural current that people are calling the dark feminine.

The dark feminine. Okay, tell me more about that.

It's this aesthetic movement, but it seems to be more about an attitude really, embracing personal power, a sense of mystery, maybe setting stronger boundaries. Kind of a move away from traditionally passive or people pleasing presentations towards something.

More assertive, maybe unapologetic.

Exactly. Unapologetic is a good way to put it. And the search data backs this up. Search volume for dark feminine is up more than 1100% in the last five years.

1100%. Clearly it's resonating with a lot of people.

It really seems to be, particularly among women. And you see echoes of it elsewhere too. Beyond just whimsicoff clothes. Like certain makeup trends, Siren eyes or the black nail theory online.

Black nail theory?

Yeah, this idea that black nail polish gives off an air of confidence and mystery. Even certain fragrance notes are linked to it, like cherry or pink pepper seen as more seductive or powerful.

Fascinating. So these aesthetic choices are reflecting a deeper desire for a certain kind of self expression.

It seems that way bold, unapologetic identity expression.

Okay, so there we have it. Four trends. AI surveillance, affordable luxury diapers, hyperscale computing and whimsica fashion.

Quite the range definitely spans technology, consumer goods, massive infrastructure and culture and aesthetics. But they all offer these little windows into the forces shaping things right now.

Yeah, from AI becoming embedded in public safety to how we think about value and luxury in everyday things like diapers, the sheer scale of the build out needed for the a revolution and these.

Shifts in style that maybe say something deeper about identity.

Yeah, there's definitely a lot going on, a lot to think about.

We hope this deep dive gave you some valuable perspective on these key areas.

Absolutely. You know, think about which of these trends really jumps out at you or what wider implications they might have. It's always interesting to consider the connections right, between these seemingly really different parts of our world.